


15) Chase scene

by Munnin



Series: Hugin Chronicles [15]
Category: Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 21:08:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10952757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Munnin/pseuds/Munnin
Summary: Red Mist provide a distraction as Crispy, Sera and Rebec race to Tahl's location.





	15) Chase scene

**Author's Note:**

> Red Mist Squad based on characters created by Joe Hogan for the [ The Siren of Dathomir](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3z0kyf53Ds) and [ Panic Over Muunilinst ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3-_EnhMEDE). Stolen, run away with, and abused with his permission.
> 
> The Grey Jedi and Odd Squads are original characters based on members of the CSWCC. The original Argument’s End series can be found [here](http://munnin.dreamwidth.org/tag/grey+jedi+verse).

Fordo stood between the two pilot’s positions, holding on to the overhead rail as Skate steered them into the valley. There was nothing he could do here, trusting in the near instinctive bond the squad’s pilot and co-pilot shared. Their hands moved in tandem over the controls, Wrathor and Rezz in the gunner’s positions almost an extension of their arms as they twisted and turned into the canyon system.

The high rocky walls of the canyon pressed close, a honeycomb of eroded cave systems. The modified Nu-class shuttle was wasn’t as fast as the HMP droid gunship chasing them but what it lacked in speed, it made up for in manoeuvrability. And fire power. Most of which was currently pointing the wrong direction as they ran ahead of the gunship.

Fernie’s plan had been simple but effective. They had Hugin’s phase two armour. Why not make a decoy of it? 

The Separatists had made too big a thing of declaring they would publicly execute Hugin. The droids hunting him would have been programmed with pattern recognition for his feathered design, a design echoed by his tattoos. Their pursuers would have been ordered not to kill him. It wouldn’t have the same impact to show a smouldering wreck. So, they would be looking for his armour. And would want to take him alive. 

At the suggestion, Ridley and Gleeb had tossed a chance cube for the honour of playing decoy. While they were arguing, Linc simply put Hugin’s armour on and got ready. 

He hung out the door of the Nu, firing on the gunship as they flashed past the ship, armed with Wrathor’s biggest gun. 

Anything to get their attention. 

As the gunship had turned, Wrathor and Rezz fired the Nu’s lazer, Fordo pulled Linc back in the open door as stun shots grazed them.

And it worked, the droid gunship was following them. Now they just had to stay ahead of it long enough buy Crispy time. 

Time to bring their brother home.

***

Crispy kept pace with Rebec and Sera, ranging a little behind at to the right of them to watch their backs. He over the comms. he could hear Alpha Strike and D’rue Nor-smen engaging commando droids in the street outside the shop. And his own squad being chased out into the mountains by the droid gunship. He was use to this, trained for this – tracking a fight in real time across the comms. of his brothers and brothers in arms. 

But at the same time, Hugin’s hiding place was well chosen. The path there was a challenge and without Rebec setting the line of their entry, he never would have found it. There were too many drop offs, too many sharp gullies and tight twists through trees for anyone but a local to make it. 

More than once he lost the thread of the other two fights going on in his ears, concentrating on keeping the speeder upright and himself alive.

It annoyed him, just how effortless Sera made it look, following Rebec’s line with an ease that made him grit his teeth. He was angry, so angry. They never meant to bring Hugin back. All their promises, all their words and the Grey Jedi were just going to walk away from him. 

Well, Red Mist wouldn’t. They’d lost Hugin once. Never again.

As they crested a ridge onto an open field of native grass, the tell-tale hum of repulsorcraft sounded above them. Clankers on Single Trooper Aerial Platforms. A dozen of them at least. 

Rebec screamed as they opened fire. 

***

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Skate,” Wrathor muttered, almost conversationally as stone scrapped along the side of his firing position, “but we’re RUNNING OUT OF ROOM!”

“I’m aware of that. Thank you.” Skate answered impassively, hands still dancing over the controls. “This cave system is about to become too narrow for us.” 

Wrathor’s exasperation was audible over the comms. “Please let me you plan to fix that?”

“No. I can’t do anything about it. We’re too committed to turn around.” Skate seemed almost confused by the questions. 

Rezz chimed in. “So, how exactly do we not die?”

Skate frowned at Jat, “You make the passage wider.” He sounded genuinely perplexed that they didn’t see that.

Jat ran his eyes over the forward telemetry. “Right! I see what you mean! Wrathor, Rezz – I need the laser cannons on a 38-degree angle?” he glanced at Skate for confirmation, going on as the pilot nodded. “Yes, 38-degrees out from forward. I’ll call the timing. Fire on my mark.” He looked over to Skate, reading the tiny movements of the pilot’s hands as their course adjusted minutely in the tight space. “Wrath. Rezz… Rezz, Wrath. Together. Wrath-Wrath… Rezz, together.”

At each mark, they fired. The angle of the cannons cutting away rock just far enough ahead and out that the edges so the ship slipped through the hole created with barely a hand’s breadth to spare. 

Fordo held his breath, holding on as falling stone buffered the ship, pilots and gunners working in perfect tandem as they shot through the labyrinth of stone. He trusted them. Completely. And right now, they need their captain to be silent and let them do their jobs.

What seemed like an age later, Skate found what he was looking for. “Guns to 68-degrees out. Rapid fire on my mark.”

There was an opening ahead, not wide but high. The local sun’s bright light shone almost blindingly through. 

Skate twisted the ship into a sharp lateral spiral, forcing them to hold on tight. 

With an almost satisfied sigh, he gave the command. “Mark.” 

As the Nu shot into open air, spinning like a corkscrew, their fire shattered the stark pillars of iron laden stone around them, sending rubble crashing down on droid ship on their tail.

Skate took them out and around on as wide an arch as the valley would allow, circling back around to assess the damage. 

“It’s wounded. But not badly enough.” Fordo observed, watching as the droid ship as it tried to pull itself free of the jagged boulders that had ripped open a large hole in its hull. “We need it dead.” 

Rezz’s grin was audible over their comms. “Ridley and Gleeb, take over the gunner’s positions. Wrathor and I packed some toys!” 

 

***

Sera fired and fired again, the sabre still at her hip. The blaster give her range and she still needed one hand to steer the speeder bike. 

Rebec was down but didn’t appear badly injured. She hadn’t been hit but her reaction to the flying clankers had thrown off her balance and she’d fallen off the speeder bike. Thankfully on the open flat, the speeder bike had simply stopped and skidded into the waist high grass. Rebec was crawling back towards it as Sera and Crispy circled around to cover her. 

As much as Sera knew Crispy must hate her right now, he did his duty – without hesitation and with great skill. She admired that. And she hoped she would get a chance to tell him that. If they both made it. 

They were outnumbered and without cover. It wasn’t looking good. 

One of the STAPs broke away, heading straight for Rebec. Without thinking, Sera twisted hard, throwing herself and her speeder between the droid and Rebec. 

Crispy turned in time to see Sera go down, her speeder crashing with sickening thud. He circled around, unable to see her for tall grass and smoke, yelling for her to respond. 

“Keep your force-damned voice down.” She muttered, her voice pained and soft, close through his comm. “I can hear you.” She swallowed thickly. “I’m injured and so is Rebec. I can get us out of the Wing but if you’re going to reach Tahl, you’ll need us to lead them away.”

She fired from her prone position, taking down another droid as it got near them. Her voice was distant for a moment as she urged Rebec towards the undamaged speeder. “Rebec is going to send you Tahl’s coordinates.” She suppressed a hiss as she fiddled with something in her jacket. “I’ve got a plan but you’re going to have to do exactly what I say.”

A moment later, Crispy was tearing past the two fallen women, now crouched low over Rebec’s speeder. He caught the object Sera threw to him and powered towards the dense trees that bordered the grasslands. He threw the fist-sized explosive at one of the ghostly white trunks and killed the power on the bike. The inertia kept the bike flying forward into the deep shadows and dense foliage as the world behind him exploded, throwing up a screen of dirt and smoke. 

He didn’t hear the other speeder power up over the ringing in his ears but the comms. crackled to life as Sera hauled it up. “Find him, Crispy. Get him to the RV point. But don’t forget, we’re here to get him and his family to safety, not force him back into the fold.” She rose above the grass, flashing the speeder’s vents at the droids as she sped back towards the space port, Rebec clinging to her back.


End file.
